Tea: Darjeeling, Puttabong Estate, 1st Flush
A Darjeeling First Flush from Simpson & Vail - 
Organic
This tea has been retired/discontinued.
| Brand: | Simpson & Vail |
| Style: | Darjeeling First Flush |
| Region: | Darjeeling, India |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Loose? | Loose |
| # Ratings: | 1 View All |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1448 teas reviewed
✓ 19 of Darjeeling First Flush
✓ 66 of Darjeeling Black Tea
✓ 42 of Simpson & Vail
✓ 78 from Darjeeling, India
✓ 206 from India
Review of Darjeeling, Puttabong Estate, 1st Flush
October 25th, 2018
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 10 of 10 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 84 of 100 |
| Outstanding | Good | Good Value |
A tricky-to-brew tea that reminded me a lot of green oolongs from Taiwan, and required a lower water temperature to brew to satisfaction.
The dry leaf, quite broken, is an intense green color, like a lot of good Darjeeling first flush. It looks exactly like pictured in the company photo (I appreciate honest photography!) Very fresh smell, a slight hint of sweet malt and strong floral and vegetal notes, honey-like, very fresh smelling too. I love the smell and I'm excited to try this.
The brewed cup has a delightful aroma, with floral and vegetal notes resembling green oolongs, and that characteristic Darjeeling grape-like fruitiness. Like with some of these oolongs, the aroma is also slightly soapy though.
I was a little disappointed the first couple times I brewed this. I found that brewing temperature was the secret: this tea really cannot handle boiling water. It made a BIG difference...with boiling water, the tea had some off qualities, was oddly thin yet too bitter and also oddly sour, and made me feel a bit jittery after drinking it. I even went a little lower than recommended, brewing this more like a green tea, at about 180°F/82°C, and this produced good results.
Brewed ideally, the aromatic qualities of the leaf came out more. The cup was still a little thin-bodied, but the bitterness and sourness were reduced and the cup tasted more balanced. On the strong side for me, caffeine-wise. I wouldn't drink this one late in the day; it's good if you want a bit of a kick.
Resteeped well; the second cup was a bit thin-bodied but retained a lot of the fresh, vegetal and floral, oolong-like aromatic qualities of the first.
This tea was pricey, but not compared to other first-flush teas of this caliber. The main reason I'd say this tea doesn't offer the best value is that, to me, it's competing with similar-tasting Taiwanese teas of a lower price that are easier to brew, produce more infusions, and are less caffeinated.
If you like very green first flush teas, and especially if you are also a fan of green Taiwanese oolongs like Pouchong / Bao Zhong or very green Dong Ding, you might really like this one. Just be careful with the brewing temperature; it's much pickier than an oolong.
